Thanksgiving Dinner: Guy Style

The Secret To Hosting The Ultimate Manly Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving means different things to different people. To most, it means getting together with family and giving thanks for everything you normally take for granted — health, love, prosperity, or even just the roof over your heads.

But if you are one of the truly fortunate ones, then you can spare yourself a trip to the in-laws and opt to give thanks another way — by watching football and enjoying the day with friends. Whether you play host or arrive as a guest, the main thing to remember is that everyone wants to be fed and sated.

As a result, the following party checklist will make your football watching, beer drinking and in-law missing event a memorable one. So get cracking before you miss the kickoff.

the drinks

Usually, the beverage component comes last, but since this is a friendly get-together, this factor takes precedence.

Beer The expression that comes to mind is "the more the merrier." Provide the most popular beers for your guests and they'll be most appreciative. If you wish to go for the full effect, speak to your local brewery for a keg and your guests will forever be thankful.

Hard liquor Forget hard liquor. This is an extended session of drinking and hanging out, and drinking hard liquor all afternoon is going to get ugly fast. Besides, without the stress of relatives asking you irritating questions, you won't need the additional kick of liquor.

the food

Cold cut platter You should prepare a cold cut platter centered around — what else — sliced turkey. Complete this platter with an assorted mix of salami (Italian, Hungarian, beef, and pepper are just some examples), ham and capicollo. Add a small bowl of mustard for dipping.

Making it gourmet If you wish to offer up a more refined variety, slice up some melon or cantaloupe, place some prosciutto on each piece, and place them in the oven for a couple of minutes.

Cheese and fruit No cold cut platter is complete without the perfect complementary dish: cheese with grapes and sliced apples. There are various types of cheeses that would be perfect additions to the cold cuts such as cheddar, mozzarella and Swiss.

Bread If you will be serving cold cuts and cheese, then make sure to serve bread along with them. Depending on your taste, French baguettes or crackers (or both) go well with cold cuts and cheese.